The invention relates to a massaging apparatus for massaging body areas of a person, which massaging apparatus comprises a housing having a bottom wall and can be placed onto the skin of a body area of a person with the bottom wall of the housing during a massaging session and is preferably movable over the skin in a given operating direction, during which a relative movement occurs between the skin and the bottom wall, and which comprises a suction chamber which encloses a suction space and which comprises two chamber walls which extend substantially transversely to the operating direction and two chamber walls which extend substantially parallel to the operating direction and are connected to the two chamber walls which extend transversely to the operating direction, and which is open in its area which faces the skin of a body area when the massaging apparatus is disposed on the skin with the bottom wall, and which comprises a pump which communicates with the suction chamber via an air-transfer duct so as to allow the passage of air and by means of which a partial vacuum can be generated inside the suction chamber when the massaging apparatus is disposed on the skin of a body area with its bottom wall, in order to forma skin fold which is drawn into the suction chamber, a relative movement being produced between the skin of the skin fold and at least one chamber wall, and which in the area of the bottom wall comprises at least one roller which is rotatable about a roller axis which extends transversely to the operating direction and which can be placed onto the skin of a body area with its circumferential surface.
Such a massaging apparatus of the type defined in the opening paragraph is known, for example, from the patent document WO 98/02124 A1. In said known massaging apparatus the bottom wall of the housing is comparatively smooth in order to preclude irritation of the skin and both the chamber walls which extend transversely to the operating direction and the chamber walls which extend parallel to the operating direction have a steady curvature and the bounding surfaces of the chamber walls which face the suction space have a given roughness, which lies preferably in a range between 4 .mu.m and 8 .mu.m. Owing to this construction of the known massaging apparatus it has been found that comparatively high friction values occur between the bottom wall of the housing and the skin and between at least one of the chamber walls and the skin of the skin fold which is drawn into the suction chamber, as a result of which, owing to the comparatively high friction values, the further movement of the massaging apparatus in the operating direction is hindered and, owing to the comparatively high friction values, a relatively great force is exerted on the skin fold drawn into the suction chamber, which is at least to some extent experienced as unpleasant or even painful.